SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pete Alonso will be listening if the Mets want to discuss a contract.
Mega-agent Scott Boras said Wednesday — as part of his annual “State of the Boras “ address at the General Managers’ meetings — he convened this week with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, and Alonso’s status was discussed.
Alonso, who last month hired Boras as his agent, will be entering his free-agent year next spring — and Boras clients tend to hit the open market.
“[Stearns] certainly views Pete as a core part of their team and we just kind of let him know when it comes to the Polar Bear we’re not in contract hibernation,” Boras said.
“We’re open to listening. Pete has directed me to listen to what they have to say and we’ll go from there.”
Alonso last season produced a .217/.318/.504 slash line with 46 homers and 118 RBIs.
He has repeatedly stated his desire to continue long-term with the Mets, who drafted and developed him.
Stearns, upon arriving to the organization, stated in October that his expectation is Alonso will be the team’s Opening Day first baseman next season.
Alonso’s name surfaced in trade talks with the Brewers last summer, but it’s unclear how close the teams came to striking a deal.
Alonso, who turns 29 in December, has hit at least 40 homers three times in his career, but Boras said the All-Star first baseman should be viewed as more than just a powerful presence at the plate.
“Everybody knows about his extraordinary power,” Boras said. “But the thing about Pete is his durability. You look at the number of players that can post and do what he does and the other thing is his commitment to defensive improvement, where now he’s become a rise on defense where he’s league average and getting better and better at that spot.”
Boras said it shouldn’t be lost that Alonso has emerged as a team leader.
“Now the veteran status of him means there is going to be an inclusion of younger players into this roster and he adds more value with his leadership,” Boras said. “But being a Met, playing a Met, doing well as a Met ever since inception, Pete has posted, played every day and done that. Sometimes in this industry, durability, we take it for granted, but it’s very hard to do for these players.”
Aside from the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Alonso has played at least 152 games in every season of his career.
Boras’ stable of free-agents this offseason includes pitchers Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Hyun jin-Ryu.
The Mets, who are prioritizing pitching, could be looking to scale back after last offseason’s free-agent spending spree, but Boras expects them, with owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets, to remain as significant players in the market.
“When you have the bigger jet and you say you are going slower, you are still going faster,” Boras said. “I think their idea and vision is long term, no doubt. I think they see advantages in this market and next year’s market.
“The Mets have a lot of work to do. [Cohen] inherited a team that had very limited minor league depth and therefore they have to do some very unique things in free agency to ramp up and particularly to be competitive in the National League East.”